Gogo dies prior to her centenary party

The 100-year-old gogo Annah Makwarela Manenzhe from Ha-Matsa village in Nzhelele died shortly before her centenary birthday celebration.

While the whole world was celebrating Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday on the 18th of July, gogo Manenzhe was also turning 100. To celebrate this event, her grandchildren were planning a huge birthday party for the next weekend. Little did they know that she was not going to be there to celebrate with them.

Gogo Manenzhe, who had not been well for some time, died in her home during the early hours of Saturday, two weeks ago.

The family spokesperson, Stanley Ndivhuwo Mudzhambi, who is also a grandson of the deceased, said that “as a family we are celebrating the life of our grandmother. She has been a pillar of strength for the past 100 years”.

Mudzhambi said that she would always be remembered as a person who loved people. She was a strong leader and even her church mates used to call her Tsumbavhuyo (someone who shows people the right way of doing things).

Ndivhuwo said that his grandmother started her career as a domestic worker. “She then joined Tshipise Resort, where she worked for decades,” he said. The late gogo then decided to start her own business, buying and selling clothes. “She used to travel as far as Durban to purchase her stock,” he said. When she became too old to travel such long distances, she opened a small market stall at Makhado. “I must say we are where we are today as family because of her hard work,” said her grandson.

Ndivhuwo recalled that his grandmother had loved everyone. “I remember her saying to one of my aunts: ‘Please cook more food, because you will never know if one of the foreign nationals from Zimbabwe will pass here with an empty stomach’. For that we will forever cherish and be grateful for the guidance and support we got from her.”